Transcript Highlights:

• this is our customized, uh, coloring book and you'll see there are career and technical education occupations
• area of excellence is healthcare with nationally ranked programs in nursing, physical therapy, occupational
• Alicia Becker, as a 26 year old first-generation student in our occupational therapy program.
• We're also proud to have the number one occupational therapy program in Texas, but what we're most proud
• produces well-trained workers in key areas, uh, where shortages exist, like addiction counselors, therapists

Transcript Highlights:

• Panola College, another example, has expanded their Occupational Skills Award program offerings in high-demand
• at our health-related institutions and the Comprehensive Research Fund for our regional general occupations
• We have nationally ranked programs in nursing, physical therapy. occupational therapy and many more.
• We are also proud to have the number one occupational therapy program in Texas.
• produces very well-trained workers in key areas of where shortages exist. addiction counsellors, therapists

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• These aren't conversion therapists.
• It's this very ambiguity, which you say needs to be left to the courts, that terrifies therapists.
• I hear it week after week from therapists frightened of the legal exposure.
• You can have a therapist that is anti-LGBQ altogether, and they have a First Amendment right in a therapist
• It's just mind-boggling to me that we would have therapists that aren't...

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The first piece would require an active RRT, registered respiratory therapist, credential to practice
• as a respiratory therapist in the state of Missouri.
• Currently, someone can practice with either a CRT, certified respiratory therapist, or an RRT credential
• We do not want to prohibit anyone who is currently practicing as a respiratory therapist from continuing
• I am a respiratory therapist and the current Government Affairs Committee chair and delegate for the

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The first piece would require an active RRT, registered respiratory therapist credential, to practice
• as a respiratory therapist in the state of Missouri.
• Currently, someone can practice with either a CRT, certified respiratory therapist, or an RRT credential
• We do not want to prohibit anyone who is currently practicing as a respiratory therapist from continuing
• I am a respiratory therapist and the current Government Affairs Committee Chair and delegate for the

Summary: The Committee on Professional Registration and Licensing met with a quorum and held a public hearing on Senate Substitute for Senate Bill 1083, which focused primarily on respiratory care licensure. The sponsor explained that the bill would require respiratory therapists in Missouri to hold an active RRT credential rather than a CRT, while preserving a grandfather clause for current CRT licensees, and would also add random audits at renewal to confirm credentials remain active. The bill was also described as carrying several other professional licensing provisions added on the Senate floor, including changes affecting interior designers, physician licensure background checks and disclosure requirements, social worker supervision standards, and speech-language pathologist clinical fellowship supervision rules. Testimony in support came from representatives of the Missouri Society for Respiratory Care, the Interior Designers Association, the Missouri Speech-Language-Hearing Association, the Missouri chapter of the National Association of Social Workers and Burrell Behavioral Health, and FGA Action. The respiratory care witness said the bill would improve patient care and close a loophole in current law. Interior design supporters said they had negotiated changes with the board, while a committee member disputed that the board was fully in agreement. Speech-language and social work witnesses described their provisions as technical fixes that would help recruit and license more professionals, especially in rural areas. One witness also urged adding unrelated legislation as an amendment. After the hearing, the committee moved into executive session on Senate Substitute for Senate Bill 183 and adopted an amendment that addressed residential care and assisted living facility accreditation, a temporary licensure issue tied to work experience, a cleanup fix for osteopathic college language, and clarification that the speech-language pathologist provision applies to supervision from any state. The committee then rolled the amendment into the substitute and voted do pass House Committee Substitute for Senate Substitute for Senate Bill 1083 by a roll call vote of 21 yes and 1 no, with Representative Nolte voting no.

Transcript Highlights:

• But generally, you know, if you can't pay a physical therapist, as an example, $1,000 an hour, I mean
• But generally, you know, if you can't pay a physical therapist, as an example, $1,000 an hour, I mean
• Um, generally, you know, if you can't pay a physical therapist, as an example, $1,000 an hour, I mean
• </c><01:05:46.400><c> That</c> therapist at $100 an hour, right?
• That therapist at $100 an hour, right?

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The subcommittee met to begin work on HB 742, which would require catastrophic special education aid to be drawn from the education trust fund, and more broadly to study special education aid/differentiated aid and related costing issues. The chair said the group was starting early because the issue has been debated for years without resolution, local districts are being forced to absorb prorated costs, and the committee wants to send the Department of Education and HHS Medicaid a clear request for data and recommendations before retained bills return in the fall. A committee clerk was also selected, with Representative Reverend volunteering to take notes for the meeting. Members reviewed background materials on special education enrollment, high-cost students, and possible funding formulas, including data on students in high-cost brackets and prior ideas such as category-based funding and caseload-based approaches. The chair also referenced research on other states, including Arkansas, which uses a different special education funding structure and audits IEPs. The committee emphasized that it was focused on the funding mechanics and costs, not on questioning whether services should be provided. Henry Lipman of HHS explained how Medicaid-to-schools currently works in New Hampshire. He said 172 school districts participate, but utilization dropped during the pandemic and remains below historical levels, in part because districts need the capacity to bill Medicaid. Under the current system, schools receive reimbursement based on half of the Medicaid fee schedule, with the school district effectively providing the state share. He said the federal government is requiring a shift by July 1, 2026, to a true certified public expenditure model based on actual costs, which should allow schools to recover 50% of their true costs and some administrative overhead. The department has received a roughly $2.5 million grant to hire a vendor and support districts through the transition, and an RFP and stakeholder meetings are underway. Committee members asked about how costs would be determined, whether the new system would use actual district-specific costs rather than averages, and how the department would support districts that do not currently participate. Lipman said the cost model would be based on each district’s own reasonable costs, subject to audit standards, and that the department expects to provide templates and technical assistance through the vendor because its staff is limited. He also said about one in four New Hampshire children are enrolled in Medicaid, that child enrollment has been relatively stable, and that continuous coverage rules should reduce churn. No votes or formal actions on HB 742 were taken during the meeting beyond organizing the subcommittee and beginning testimony and discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• development and implementation of best practices for 100 in-service teachers and rehabilitation therapists
• We all lost a good friend of ours, a respiratory therapist, to pancreatic cancer.
• For instance, those members working in occupational health research with funding from NIOSH, the National
• Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, and the Asian American, Native American, and Pacific Islander

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The committee on Economic Development held a hearing on the DRIVE Act, a proposal to invest $400 million in Massachusetts research and innovation without new taxes. Governor Healey and administration officials said the bill would direct $200 million to public higher education research and regional partnerships and $200 million to a research funding pool for hospitals, universities, and other institutions, with the goal of retaining talent, leveraging private and philanthropic dollars, and offsetting major federal R&D cuts. They argued that research is a core economic engine for the state, supporting jobs across labs, construction, services, and surrounding businesses, and said the bill would help protect the Commonwealth’s tax base and competitiveness during a period of federal uncertainty and cuts to SNAP, Medicaid, and other programs. Committee members raised concerns about whether Fair Share surtax dollars should instead be used for K-12 and other community needs, whether the proposal is enough given the scale of lost federal grants, and how the money would be allocated. The governor responded that the funds are one-time surplus dollars, that most surtax revenue already supports education, and that the bill is meant as a bridge to stabilize public higher education and research. She also said the legislation includes a review board and could support a revolving or matched-fund approach in some cases. Several members pressed for more detail on selection criteria, future funding, and whether private companies and large endowments should contribute more. University of Massachusetts leaders and researchers testified that federal grant cancellations and delays are already causing layoffs, furloughs, rescinded admissions, and lost research capacity. UMass officials said the bill would help preserve faculty, postdocs, graduate students, and research programs in medicine, climate science, marine science, Braille instruction, and AI decision-making. They emphasized that the funding should be merit-based and that the state needs to act quickly to prevent talent from leaving Massachusetts. Business, labor, and industry groups, including MassBio, the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, AIM, the AFL-CIO, and Building Trades, supported the bill, saying it would protect jobs, sustain the innovation ecosystem, and reinforce Massachusetts’ national leadership in research and life sciences. No vote was taken in the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• ,</c> business owners, massage therapists, business owners, massage therapists, community<00:28:18.960
• I think um I— for therapist to perform massage for therapist to perform massage therapists<00:54:30.240
• Was it a massage therapist?
• Was it a massage therapist?
• Was it a massage therapist?

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:04:49.280><c> but</c><00:04:49.400><c> you</c> always lie to us as therapists but you always
• lie to us as therapists but you can<00:04:49.600><c> never</c><00:04:49.800><c> lie</c><00:04:49.960>
• Quite often, the therapists and the folks that our folks go to are not trained to deal with the issues
• and the folks that our uh the therapists and the folks that our folks<00:18:02.159><c> go</c><00:18:
• </c> the first session because the therapist the first session because the therapist or<00:18:12.120>

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm a practicing respiratory therapist, and I serve as secretary of the Florida Society for Respiratory
• We're representing more than 14,000 licensed respiratory therapists across the state of Florida.
• On behalf of the Florida Society for Respiratory Care, the 14,000 respiratory therapists we represent
• On behalf of the Florida Society for Respiratory Care, the 14,000 respiratory therapists we represent
• I appreciate the respiratory therapists attending every meeting on this.

Summary: The Health Care Budget Subcommittee met to hear three member bills before turning to budget discussion. First, the committee considered HB 1295 on memory care, which would set baseline operating standards for memory care providers and facilities, clarify resident contract requirements, and restrict facilities from advertising themselves as memory care providers unless they meet the bill’s criteria. AARP, the Alzheimer’s Association, and the Florida Senior Living Association supported the measure, and it was reported favorably with no debate. The committee then heard HB 1235, which would authorize Florida to join the Respiratory Care Interstate Compact. Representative Conerly and a representative of the Florida Society for Respiratory Care said the compact would improve workforce flexibility and patient access while preserving state oversight and using licensure fees rather than taxpayer dollars. The bill received favorable testimony and was reported favorably. Next, HB 933 was presented by Representative Rosenwald to add two new children’s initiative sites, one in Bay County and one in Broward County, expanding a program that coordinates education, health care, employment, and housing supports for children in disadvantaged communities. The bill had support from Florida Children’s Initiative and was also reported favorably. After the bill presentations, members were told the agenda would move to budget discussion, and the chair noted that budget recommendations had been submitted to Chair McClure. With no further business, Representative Redondo moved to recess.

Transcript Highlights:

• The bill has language to allow a licensed clinical social worker or marriage and family therapist with
• But this language is room. ...or marriage and family therapists with comparable experience.
• Nurses, therapists, school counselors, and even lab techs could face liability for providing routine
• Nurses, therapists, school counselors, and even lab techs could face liability for providing routine
• not liable. ...base of knowledge as a therapist, that you are not liable for the action you take.

Bills: S0560, S0590, S0778, S1010

Keywords: child welfare, psychotropic medication, Department of Children and Families, community-based care, liability insurance, forensic services, defendants, mental health, judicial system, defense, legal definitions, minors, healthcare, parental rights, criminal penalties, civil action, sex-reassignment, investigations, economic damages

Summary: The Committee on Children, Families, and Elder Affairs considered four bills. SB 590, by Sen. Bradley, would toll the statute of limitations for failure to report suspected child abuse by mandatory reporters until the offense is known to law enforcement; an amendment clarified retroactive application for offenses not already time-barred by the bill’s effective date. Sen. Bradley said the bill is intended to ensure accountability in institutional abuse cases and not to change the reasonable-suspicion reporting standard. The committee adopted the amendment and reported the bill favorably. The committee also heard SB 778, by Sen. Simon, which would update the definition of forensic client so certain individuals with intellectual disabilities or autism whose charges were dismissed for incompetency can be housed with other Chapter 916 residents, reducing duplicative staffing and space needs at the Agency for Persons with Disabilities. Barney Bishop appeared in support, and the bill was reported favorably without amendment. SB 560, by Sen. Garcia, would streamline procedures for psychotropic medication prescriptions for children in DCF custody, reduce duplicative background checks and reporting, and simplify consent documentation. Amendments removed language allowing licensed clinical social workers and marriage and family therapists to serve as evaluators and narrowed changes to the Road to Independence Program’s postsecondary education services and supports, extending eligibility ages from 18 to 26 while keeping the five-year cap. Senators discussed the fiscal impact and funding blend for the education stipend. The committee adopted the amendments and reported the bill favorably. The committee then took up SB 1010, by Sen. Yarbrough, which adds criminal and civil enforcement for violations involving sex-reassignment prescriptions or procedures for minors and related parental-rights provisions. An amendment clarified that the civil action authority applies to minors and that damages benefit the affected minor. Public testimony was heavily divided, with supporters saying the bill enforces existing protections and opponents warning it would chill care, counseling, and school-based support for transgender youth. Senators Harrell, Sharief, and Rouson raised concerns about vagueness, standing, and impacts on teachers and health professionals; Sharief voted no, while the bill was still reported favorably.

Transcript Highlights:

• The bill has language to allow a licensed clinical social worker or marriage and family therapist with
• The bill has language to allow a licensed clinical social worker or marriage and family therapist with
• But this language is room. ...or marriage and family therapists with comparable experience.
• Nurses, therapists, school counselors, and even lab techs could face liability for providing routine
• , that you are not liable. ...base of knowledge as a therapist, that you are not liable for the action

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Summary: The Committee on Children, Families, and Elder Affairs considered four bills and reported each favorably. SB 590, by Senator Bradley, would toll the statute of limitations for failure by mandatory reporters to report suspected child abuse until the offense is known to law enforcement; an amendment made the change retroactive for offenses not already time-barred by the bill’s effective date. Senator Bradley said the bill is intended to ensure accountability in institutional abuse cases, and it passed unanimously. SB 778, by Senator Simon, updates the definition of forensic client so certain defendants with intellectual disabilities or autism whose charges were dismissed for incompetency can be housed in the same secure setting as other Chapter 916 residents, reducing duplicative staffing and costs; it also passed unanimously. The committee then took up SB 560, by Senator Garcia, which streamlines psychotropic medication procedures for children in DCF custody, reduces duplicative reports and background checks, and simplifies consent documentation. Amendments removed language allowing certain social workers and marriage and family therapists to serve as evaluators and narrowed changes to the Road to Independence Program’s post-secondary education services and support, while extending eligibility ages from 18-23 to 18-26 with a five-year maximum benefit period. Senator Garcia and supporters said the bill improves continuity of care and support for foster youth; Senator Harrell raised fiscal concerns about the education stipend expansion. The bill was reported favorably, and Chair Grall later recorded her vote in the affirmative. Finally, the committee heard SB 1010, by Senator Yarbrough, which strengthens enforcement of Florida’s existing prohibitions on sex reassignment prescriptions and procedures for minors and adds civil and criminal penalties, including Attorney General enforcement authority and damages for injured minors. An amendment clarified that the cause of action applies only to minors and that damages benefit the affected minor. The bill drew extensive public testimony, with supporters arguing it protects children and parental rights, and opponents warning it would chill medical care, school conversations, and access to support for transgender youth. Senators Harrell and Sharief expressed concerns about breadth, standing, and impacts on therapists, teachers, and confidential conversations; Sharief voted no while the rest of the committee voted yes, and the bill was reported favorably. The committee then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Along the way, it did incorporate licensing for occupations and professionals in other states.
• So it's various things for different occupations and professions.
• other provision in there that the representative from the 97th had put in there on respiratory therapists

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Along the way, it did incorporate licensing for occupations and professionals in other states.
• So it's various things for different occupations and professions.
• other provision in there that the representative from the 97th had put in there on respiratory therapists

Summary: The House opened with prayer, approved the previous day’s journal unanimously, and then adopted a motion suspending House Rule 98 to allow members to wear hats on the floor. Members also introduced several special guests, including the Eugene High School Class 2 basketball champions, family members, scholarship recipients, and other visitors. One member used a lengthy personal privilege speech to criticize a recent U.S. Supreme Court voting-rights decision and warn about threats to democracy and minority voting power. The chamber then took up committee reports and several bills. It approved a motion to go to conference on the property-tax omnibus measure tied to Senate Bills 1066 and 1088. House Bill 3329, repealing expired tax credits, passed 142-0. House Bill 3405, clarifying the SALT deduction and improving tax-credit accounting, also passed 138-0. House Committee Substitute for House Bill 2426, a parental-rights bill that also drew criticism over a school financial-ledger requirement and possible burdens on schools and student safety, failed on third reading 70-60. The House next passed House Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 1233, a professional-licensing bill involving CPA exam access and other occupational licensing changes, by 129-6 after adopting an amendment removing compact language and rejecting a nursing-home physicals amendment. It then passed House Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 1408, which raises the maximum rural interstate speed limit to 75 mph and, through multiple amendments, also carried a mix of transportation-related provisions including vehicle inspections, hands-free enforcement, motorcycle lighting, driver education, and specialty license plates for women’s professional sports; the final vote was 82-53. The Speaker also appointed a conference committee for Senate Bill 1066. The final item mentioned was Senate Substitute No. 2 for Senate Bill 863, described as an interscholastic athletic oversight/appeals bill, but the transcript cuts off before its final action is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show. that the median annual wages for the child care occupation
• We also saw the second-highest increase in wages for the child care occupation in New Mexico during that
• They're going to lose the connection with the public schools where the speech-language therapists and

Transcript Highlights:

• teaching honors anatomy and physiology and graduating many, many dozens and dozens of nurses, physical therapists
• , occupational therapists, and nurses aides who are taking care of all of us here in this state.
• teaching honors anatomy and physiology and graduating many, many dozens and dozens of nurses, physical therapists
• , occupational therapists, and nurses aides who are taking care of all of us here in this state.
• , occupational therapists, and nurses aides who are taking care of all of us here in this state.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Therapists. Therapists.
• </c> family therapists. family therapists.
• </c><00:11:09.839><c> uh</c><00:11:10.640><c> throughout</c><00:11:10.959><c> the</c> family therapists
• uh throughout the family therapists uh throughout the state<00:11:11.200><c> of</c><00:11:11.360><c>
• </c><00:21:14.240><c> Uh,</c> family therapists be online. Uh, family therapists be online.

Keywords: Appropriations - Room 216, 5 February, 2026; 8:30 AM, 925, all

Transcript Highlights:

• In living rooms turn sacred spaces, therapists pack up their tools of possibility.
• In living rooms turn sacred spaces, therapists pack up their tools of possibility.
• pack up their tools of therapists pack up their tools of possibility.<00:50:04.800><c> Weighted</c><
• </c> therapist who taught her how to speak. therapist who taught her how to speak. as<00:50:50.160><c
• So many of our occupation forces.

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I did receive cognitive rehabilitation, speech therapy, occupational, and physical therapy.
• , speech therapy, occupational, and physical therapy.
• The residential rehabilitation programs or outpatient settings typically provide speech, occupational
• The residential rehabilitation programs or outpatient settings typically provide speech, occupational
• The residential rehabilitation programs or outpatient settings typically provide speech, occupational

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Financial Services held a lengthy public hearing with testimony on a wide range of health insurance and access-to-care bills. Early testimony focused on prescription drug pricing and pharmacy reimbursement, with supporters of H. 1326 arguing that pharmacy benefit managers and MassHealth managed care arrangements reimburse independent pharmacies too little, contributing to pharmacy closures and “pharmacy deserts.” The committee also heard repeated support for H. 1151/S. 742 on cognitive rehabilitation for acquired brain injury, H. 1288/S. 716 on telehealth parity for nutrition counseling, H. 1309/S. 761 on full-spectrum pregnancy care without cost-sharing, H. 1312 on insurance coverage for doula services, H. 309 on prompt access to health care by removing deductibles for certain services, H. 809/H. 1227 on biomarker testing, H. 1162/S. 810 on reducing inequities in access to medical procedures by limiting insurer cuts tied to Modifier 25, and S. 726 on insurance coverage for mobile integrated health. Testifiers included legislators, physicians, pharmacists, dietitians, emergency and rehabilitation clinicians, and patients and family members. Supporters of the brain injury bill said cognitive rehabilitation is medically necessary, improves long-term outcomes, and can reduce institutional care and public costs; they noted the bill has been heard repeatedly and has support from the Brain Injury Commission and prior favorable committee action. Supporters of the pregnancy care and doula bills described out-of-pocket costs as a barrier to maternal health and shared personal stories of high bills and unmet support needs. Biomarker testing advocates and cancer patients said coverage gaps deny patients access to precision treatment, can lead to avoidable suffering, and should be standardized across insurers; several speakers said insurers often deny claims despite clinical benefit. Dermatology witnesses said insurers’ use of Modifier 25 cuts reimbursement for same-day evaluation and procedure visits, forcing separate appointments and increasing patient burden. Mobile integrated health supporters described home-based care as a way to reduce emergency department use and hospital readmissions, especially for patients with transportation or mobility barriers. No votes or formal committee actions were taken during the hearing itself.

Transcript Highlights:

• as well as addressing this whole issue of implicit bias and making sure that we're not creating occupational
• Placer County Deputy District Attorney's Office and Jake Martin, an associate marriage and family therapist
• I'm an associate marriage and family therapist.
• As a therapist, I know that trauma can take years or a lifetime to heal, and the harm caused by crimes
• At the end of the hours-long occupation, the agents left.

Summary: The committee heard several bills, though no final votes were taken because a quorum had not yet been established. SB 493 by Senator Becker would add war or armed conflict to California’s price-gouging emergency triggers, with the author and supporters arguing it would protect consumers from gas-price spikes tied to international conflict. Opponents, including business and housing groups, warned the bill could over-trigger emergency powers and create broad, ongoing price controls. The chair indicated support for an aye-as-amended recommendation once quorum was reached. SB 1056 by Senator Grayson would require protective orders for disclosure of sexually explicit material involving adult victims in specified criminal cases. Denise Huskins-Quinn and Aaron Quinn testified in support, describing how sensitive evidence in their case was copied and handled without adequate safeguards; supporters said the bill would extend privacy protections similar to those already used for child sexual abuse material. Criminal defense attorneys supported the goal but raised concerns about notice procedures and how the bill would apply when material is in the public domain. The chair said the bill filled a gap in existing law and would receive an aye recommendation. SB 1208 by Senator Grayson would let law enforcement seize and return crypto assets used in scams and fraud to victims. The Attorney General’s office and law enforcement groups supported the bill as a tool to recover losses from transnational crypto fraud, while the ACLU and public defenders argued it lowered the burden of proof, raised constitutional concerns, and could be misused against unbanked or low-level defendants. The chair nevertheless said the bill aligned with existing law for stolen property and would be recommended aye. SB 874 by Senator Weber-Pearson would strengthen oversight of Medi-Cal behavioral health treatment services, including requiring background checks for employees of providers and convening a stakeholder workgroup; it drew support from the California Association for Behavior Analysis and no opposition was heard. Later, SB 1266 by Senator Stern would change how the value of stolen copper and related infrastructure damage is calculated, aiming to address copper theft and its costs to cities and utilities. Supporters said the bill would better capture the real harm from thefts that disrupt streetlights, telecom, and emergency services, while opponents argued it would inflate charges, turn many misdemeanors into felonies, and increase court and incarceration costs. The author said he would continue discussions and accept the amendments. Senator Cervantes presented SB 1379, which would separate the Riverside County sheriff and coroner offices and create an independent medical examiner; supporters cited in-custody death concerns and conflicts of interest, while opponents said the problem was not unique to Riverside and that the bill would override local control. Cervantes also presented SB 1418 to extend ballot-custody protections to other election records and equipment after a Riverside County ballot seizure, with support from the Attorney General’s office. Finally, Senator Blakespear began presenting SB 936 on nitrous oxide misuse, describing public health, impaired-driving, and disposal concerns, but the transcript cuts off before the bill’s testimony concluded.